Prehospital emergency care : official journal of the National Association of EMS Physicians and the National Association of State EMS Directors
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The investigation seeks to determine the prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) on the stethoscopes of emergency medical services (EMS) providers. While stethoscopes are known fomites for MRSA, the prevalence of MRSA in the prehospital setting is not well documented in the literature. ⋯ In this ED setting, MRSA was found on approximately one in three stethoscopes of EMS professionals. A longer length of time since the last stethoscope cleaning increased the odds of MRSA colonization.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Comparison of use of the the Airtraq with direct laryngoscopy by paramedics in the simulated airway.
Paramedics often encounter patients with difficult airways requiring emergent airway management. ⋯ The Airtraq was shown to be equal to or faster than DL. The Airtraq has a rapid learning curve demonstrated by a significantly decreased time to ventilation between scenarios 1 and 4.
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This review provides an overview of the validity of Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) dispatch criteria for severely injured patients. ⋯ Only 5 studies described HEMS dispatch criteria validity. HEMS dispatch based on consciousness criteria seems promising. MOI criteria lack accuracy and will lead to significant overtriage. The first categories needing revision are MOI and age/comorbidity.
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The objective of this study was to quantify the amount of direct contact with medical direction that nationally registered emergency medical services (EMS) professionals receive. The secondary objective was to determine whether differences in medical director contact were associated with work-related characteristics. ⋯ It has been suggested that EMS professionals benefit from direct contact with a physician medical director. Nearly one-third of participants in this study reported having limited medical director contact. Certification level, service type, and community size were significantly associated with the amount of contact with medical direction.
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The primary objective of the study was to determine emergency medical services (EMS) professionals' opinions regarding participation in disease and injury prevention programs. A secondary objective was to determine the proportion of EMS professionals who had participated in disease prevention programs. ⋯ The majority of EMS professionals thought that they should participate in disease and injury prevention programs. The respondents were mixed as to whether prevention services should be provided while on emergency calls, but those with experience providing these services were more likely to agree with providing them during emergency calls.